California truly has the best whitewater rafting on the planet… emerald green water, pool and drop, granite shores, warm sun, forests of cedar and pine, steep canyons… We had four boats with some mighty lucky people on the North Fork Stanislaus River this past weekend. Here they are at the bottom of Whiteout Rapid, approximately one mile before the take-out at Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

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We* flew out of Stockton, CA, on a Wednesday to Las Vegas. (It’s a great option for Central Valley and even Bay Area folks-free parking and only $39 if you plan ahead.) Got my rental car and drove to my lodging for the night, Hooters Hotel & Casino. It’s airport and Strip close, and the nicest and cleanest $39 bungalow I ever stayed in. Off to explore pawn and record shops (my weakness) and ride the roller coaster at Circus Circus before finding one of those famous Las Vegas buffets (Sahara on this night). Then, got to walking from the ‘Trop’ on the south end to the Venetian up north. It was fun to people watch, dodge guys handing out “female entertainment” flyers and timing it just right for the Bellagio water show but after 3 miles, my dogs were barking.

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…things are heating up. A projected record-breaking heat wave is heading our way. Temps are expected to hit the high 90′s (F) this week.

California whitewater rafting on the North Fork Stanislaus River…

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I take off for a couple of weeks and look what happened… The office staff increased by three! Welcome… Carrie Aronson, our new Private and Charter Trips Manager: Kathy Kelly, the most recent addition (though she’s been here in the past) to our gang of fierce, fun and knowledgeable Adventure Consultants; and Stacey Scott, Angel to our Adventure Consultants. The WILD (Wilderness Institute for Leadership Development) website was launched. This not-for-profit organization was created to provide the ethical, educational and experiential foundation for inspiring future environmental stewards. O.A.R.S. is a corporate partner, and O.A.R.S. President and Founder, George Wendt, sits on the Advisory Board. So too does John Blaustein, photographer extraordinaire (and probably the nicest guy you will ever meet) and long-time oarsman and friend of this company. We got some nice press in the local paper, the Sonora Union Democrat.

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The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year! The Act was championed by Senator Frank Church and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on October 2, 1968. This Act protects the free-flowing waters of many of the United States’ most spectacular rivers. O.A.R.S. is honored to hold permits on the following Wild and Scenic Rivers: Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Main Salmon River, Snake River through Hells Canyon, Idaho

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Unca John’s BrainTeasers proved to be fun and challenging, however, I’m changing things up a bit here at Waterblogged. With Unca John’s blessing (okay, at his suggestion) this space will be used as a stomping ground for folks who work (or play) at O.A.R.S. Look for packing tips, vacation suggestions, reports from recent river trips and vacation tell-alls. I’m looking forward to hearing about John’s trip to Vegas and the Grand Canyon, and hey, I feel compelled to tell someone, anyone, about my trip to Dubai and Oman. Congratulations to Kristi R, the winner of the final BrainTeaser! For those of you who were wondering, here are the answers to the quiz: relax stax bee’s wax thorax climax max ajax yax Halifax tax borax

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I’ve been traveling in the Middle East for the past couple of weeks and am just getting my bearings back here in sunny Northern California. So, to find out what’s happening on the nearby rivers, I hopped over to the Dreamflows website to check out the current flows.

The Tuolumne River is flowing at 1156 cfs (cubic feet per second), which is a fun (and a wee bit of a technical) flow. We’ve got 20 lucky people heading down river this morning for a two-day Wine on the River trip. I passed our shuttle drivers on the way into work this morning. Some days it just pays to be a raft guide and not an office slug. I hope everyone took enough sunscreen!

The Stanislaus River, which is just up the road from our Angels Camp HQ, is flowing at 1082 cfs. How is it possible there’s no one scheduled to run this river today. I’m tempted to call for a mutiny here in the office today, grab some boats and do a lunchtime run. Anyone with me?

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